


You Will Face Many Difficulties On This Path.

by sunbabe



Category: Original Work
Genre: Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I Don't Know How To Tag But, If you squint you'll also find another story plot in there, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Original Mythology, Original Universe, Other, Slow Build, Slow Burn, There's a Lot of Emotional Hurt Between These Characters, There's just a lot, They're All In Pain, With a sprinkle of enemies to lovers, angst and a lot of it, but there's some happiness, there'll be smut at some point
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:47:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26482144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunbabe/pseuds/sunbabe
Summary: Everyone follows a path, carved into the ground we walk, the places we go, and within the words we speak. Whether we treasure or despise this path will always be up to us. Yet, no matter what, we are forever bound to it.Qiu YiJun learned this from a young age—given life found it appropriate to drag him through the dirt time and time again. But he holds no resentment to the past, as he knew well enough that it can never be changed.He had once been a formidable and respected cultivator, even named as the White Jade of YueXian Sect. Yet now, he's simply known as the traitor. The man who singlehandedly betrayed, embarrassed and disgraced his entire sect—along with the Cultivation World. It varied, depending on who you asked.And Qiu YiJun was okay with that. Of course, the entire Cultivation World would throw nasty names his way, but he never cared. It was easy to ignore them.After everything, life had gone rathe quiet for him. He lives within NanYing—a nowhere town where he teaches a trio of unruly disciples and spends most of his time writing poetry. His name still flitters around, but he's sure it's beginning to be forgotten.At least, that was his hope.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Original Character & Original Character, Original Character(s)/Original Character(s), Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character





	1. 01.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that everyone enjoys reading! I'm going to try and update every weekend or sometime within that timespan!

Qiu YiJun was what one would call an early bird. He had been since he was a child, often waking up at the crack of dawn and quietly sitting in wait until everyone else had woken. That was a habit he had never broken, even at his age of twenty-nine. Though, nowadays, he would wake at dawn and wander outside, standing near the forest and watching the sunrise. Which was what he was currently. He let his hair hang loosely down by his shoulders, the dark locks sway with the breeze.

His home was much closer to the forest, a bit secluded from the rest of the small town. And something about that was oddly calming—being secluded from the others, kept company by nature and the animals that woke as early as he did. Though, standing in the fields and watching as the sun peeked into the dimly lit world, a thought came to mind. The mountains were often more peaceful, as they offered almost complete silence and a better view of the rising sun. His brows furrowed with that thought before dismissing it as quickly as it came. That was a time much better left in the past, where it belonged. He sighed softly, raising his hand and pressing it to his temple. 

A headache was bound to arise if he kept considering that memory now. That wasn't something he felt like needed to be brought up at such an hour. Thankfully, he had gotten a chance of distraction when he heard a faint noise. Footsteps, maybe? He turned his attention towards the source, finding that his assumption was correct. A young boy within his early teens was running towards Qiu YiJun. He slowed down as he got closer, pausing only a foot or so away from him. Leaning over a bit, the boy took a moment to catch his breath.

Meanwhile, a small huff left Qiu YiJun as he approached the boy. He knew him well enough, mostly because the two spent a lot of time together. After all, he was his discipline. 

" Chen Ying, is there a reason you're out so early? " 

More often than not, the two would practice close to the early noon hours, as that was when Chen Ying's mother dismissed the boy from his chores and whatnot. The boy cocked his head before offering a grin, 

" I wanted to get up early! Like you! "

He quirked a brow at the response, before lightly tapping the other's forehead with his finger, 

" I doubt you told your mother. And I doubt you were up long enough to do your chores. And I'm quite sure you skipped breakfast too. " 

The younger huffed at the accusation, but the silence was enough of an answer for him. Especially since Chen Ying was quite terrible at lying. That seemed to be one of the biggest reasons why he avoided responding to the statement.

" Well! I just... "

Chen Ying was clearly trying to form some sort of excuse towards the accusation pointed towards him but was met with a flick to his forehead.

" Don't try to lie, it won't help you. "

A small whine came from Chen Ying as he rubbed where he had been flicked, a pout forming on his expression. The two had a bond that was reminiscent of brothers, namely one that would often follow the other around like a lost puppy. So, small quarrels like this weren't uncommon.

The early hours soon leaked into that of the morning, much more quickly than Qiu YiJun expected, where everyone else within the town began to awaken. Of course, after making sure that Chen Ying had eaten—it took a bit more effort than Qiu YiJun expected to make the young boy do so—he was quick to shoo him home. 

He had told him that once he informed his mother and made sure that no chores were left for him at home, he could return. He had gotten a bit of protest from Chen Ying but ultimately sent him on his way. Qiu YiJun moved to occupy a space in the field that rested before his home, watching as the young boy ran off to the town.

Chen Ying was a considerably hard worker, and that was one of the biggest things Qiu YiJun came to admire about the younger. He was determined and always eager to learn. Even so much that he could often get himself into trouble. 

Much like those troublesome friends of his. Though they spent more of their time terrorizing the adults of the town than they did learning. Then again, Chen Ying only tried once to get them to study alongside him, and Qiu YiJun swore to never try teaching those three. Even now, he still apologizes to the poor farmer that had his crops ruined that year. 

Though, now that he considered it, maybe he should go into town himself. He could snag something to eat and spare the elders that wander the inn a visit. That was how most of his mornings were spent anyways. 

Well, maybe a break from routine couldn't hurt either. Qiu YiJun had found a spring recently, and he supposed that exploring more during this time—when the world was just starting to stir—wouldn't hurt. He glanced towards the woods once more, before beginning to walk. 

The spring was secluded, at least in his eyes, as it was a decent way into the forest. Most people didn't venture too far in there unless they were looking to hunt. And Qiu YiJun doubted anyone was up at this hour. 

With that in mind, he decided to venture off to visit. He had left a trail the first time around—as though he hadn't originally expected to find it, he didn't want to risk the chance of getting lost in those woods. 

Though, he made sure to consider the time and try to return before Chen Ying would. He didn't want to leave the younger by him for long. And thankfully, it didn't take as long as he had expected to make his way to the spring. 

A few animals seemed to surround the area, mostly what appeared to be deer. They only spared Qiu YiJun a glance before leaping off, returning to the thicker parts of the forest. A small sigh left him as he eased off the few layers of robes he had worn, setting them on a rock nearby before moving to sink into the water. It was a bit cool, but not unbearable. Qiu YiJun kept moving until he was about shoulder high in the water, letting his eyes flicker shut for a moment.

This wasn't too bad, he supposed. Peaceful.

His eyes opened at a sound, glancing around in an attempt to find the source. Which had been a deer, who had trotted by to get a drink. It dipped its head down, letting its snout rest against the water. He attempted to stay as still as possible, not wanting to startle it too bad. He let out a quiet exhale, seeming to catch the deer's attention. 

Its head jerked up slightly, before peering towards the source of the sound that had shaken it. The two stared at one another for a few moments, the deer watching Qiu YiJun with caution. This only lasted for a few moments, as the deer quickly bound off back into the woods, leaving him alone once more.


	2. 02.

Qiu YiJun left the spring soon after, and though he was unsure of just how much time he spent in it, he doubted it was long. After all, the sun only had moved a little, and nothing else had seemed to change to imply a massive change of time. He had taken a few more minutes to step out of the spring and try to shake off what water stuck to his body before he moved to shuffle his pants back on before his inner robes followed.

He thankfully avoided getting his hair wet, finding that he didn't need to anyway. So, at least that was the one thing he didn't have to worry about having to try off. It didn't take long for the male to return to his home, only coming across a few deer on his way back. And even then, he didn't interact much with them. They ran off before he could get close enough, and all the only thing that Qiu YiJun managed to catch sight of was a brown blur running off, back to the deeper parts of the forest. Maybe that should've been expected. Seeing as the creatures of the woods never did like the villagers. Or anyone in that manner, as they often avoided any human that stepped foot in there.

Of course, he didn't blame them—they were just easily startled beings who just wanted to live peacefully. Well, considering everything, maybe he and those forest animals weren't too different. Though, he quickly dismissed the thoughts as he entered his home. Instead, he focused more on hurrying back to his room and shedding his semi-wet robes. Thankfully, his robes had soaked up a majority of the water. A surprising relief to the man as he grabbed a spare cloth that left by his bed—he liked to keep them nearby, just in case. And he supposed that he could set his robes elsewhere until he got around to washing them. He'd probably bring them into town with him, as there was always the off chance that he could sit with some of the women and chatter while washing his clothes.

That was something he liked to do whenever he did have the time—especially since it made the days more bearable. Given he didn't travel out of town and seeing as the women left more than he did, he often listened to them as a way of gathering information. And he got to have some fun on the way too, so he always found it one of the more enjoyable parts of the day. A soft sigh left him as he moved to shuffle on a fresh pair of clothes, fixing the sleeves of his robes. Once he had finished changing, he grabbed his wet robes, shoving them into a small bag that he had sitting around. His home wasn't the tidiest place—with his habit of misplacing things, it often led to a bit of a mess. 

But he tried to tidy up as often as possible and did his best to make sure he could remember where everything was. He then quickly tied up his hair, finding little need to make it perfect. Just as long as it didn't fall out, he didn't care. As soon as he was satisfied with his current appearance, he had hurried to leave. And thankfully, it didn't take him long to get into the town. It seemed that a few of the townsfolk were awake, but the majority seemed to be still tucked away in their beds. Understandably, he supposed, as not many of the townspeople woke up at early hours. 

After all, he knew only a handful of people on a personal level. Given some of the townsfolk weren't exactly the friendly type, he found it best to avoid them. Though, he thankfully knew everyone's name at the very least. Even if he didn't speak with them, it made it less awkward. A few people he passed by offered small greetings, which he returned with a soft nod of his head and playback of similar words. Given this was how most of his mornings went, these exchanges were familiar. After all, it was something he had done over multiple years—it began a couple of years after he had arrived. And it seemed that many of the people had followed a similar path, the only changes being when they left the town to travel, or something happened that was out of the ordinary. Otherwise, it was always the same routine every morning. 

And of course, it didn't take him long to find Chen Ying's mother—Chen Mei being her name. She was something of a stout woman who seemed to be somewhere in her late 30s, maybe early 40s, dark brown hair framing her aging face, and hazel eyes that held something akin to a dwindling flame. Chen Mei wasn't an early bird per se(something he had learned through time)but did get up early enough. Though, more often than not, she would be up closer to the late morning hours. Maybe her early rising today could've been blamed on Chen Ying. 

It would've made sense if the boy accidentally—or purposefully, as you never knew with him—had awakened his mother. With a soft huff, the male moved to approach the woman, something of a smile on his features.

" Good morning, Mrs. Chen. "

The woman turned to face the man before offering a smile towards him. It was clear that she was still tired, but managed to shake off the grip of sleep well enough, 

" Oh! YiJun, good morning. "

She greeted in return, lightly patting her hands against the waist of her robes—it was something he had seen her do time and time again, but never learned why. Maybe a force of habit, that was his best guess. He never asked much about it, given it happened at random intervals, and it felt strange to question. 

" I don't recall you being the type to wake up early. "

Qiu YiJun mentioned with a small tilt of his head as he adjusted the bag that hung off his shoulder. There was something of an implied question in there, though he was a little unsure if she would've caught on. After all, it was considerably vague. Probably even unnoticeable, now that he considered it. 

" A-Ying woke me up with all his rattling this morning. I suppose he was trying to sneak back in, but that poor boy is far too clumsy. " 

Qiu YiJun quirked a brow at this, before stifling something of a laugh as he gave a nod of understanding. 

" He's not exactly the most graceful, but I believe he'll get there one day. "

Chen Ying wasn't exactly the best on his feet when it came to more agile means, but he tried. Qiu YiJun supposed that was what mattered; after all, he had been in a similar position within his younger years. He was never graceful, even if he managed to find and use his balance more. 

" I think with enough practice, he'll get there. "

She hummed in reply, before turning her attention towards the small house behind her. She was studying it as if something had caught her attention. And then there was a rather loud thud and a shout—one that felt far too loud for the morning. A sigh left Chen Mei, beginning to make her way to the house. 

" Well, I think we have something left over if you're hungry. "

Qiu YiJun took a moment to consider the offer before giving a sheepish smile in return. Though, Qiu YiJun was quick to follow after. He supposed it couldn't hurt to share breakfast with the family, given they had a strong connection. And it was because when Qiu YiJun entered the town all those years back, they were the first to open their arms in welcome. 

" I wouldn't mind. "

His hummed response came before he moved to adjust the bag on his shoulder.

" Also, you wouldn't mind if I washed these here? They got soaked early. "

Moving to open the door, Chen Mei glanced at him before offering another smile. Quick to move inside, she left the door open so that he could follow after.

" Of course not. Now come in, I have to find what poor A-Ying has toppled over now. "

Qiu YiJun let a small snicker leave him this time as he entered, nodding slightly in return. 

" Let's hope he hasn't broken anything. "

A laugh came from Chen Mei as she hustled inside, Qiu YiJun closing the door behind him before following. 


End file.
